Fairway buys, stores and distributes point-of-sale, promotional and packaging material for retail, FMCG and automotive clients. It also provides on-site print and reprographics facilities management for clients including a media group and a property consultant.

Mark Scanlon, Thomas Potts group commercial director, said: "Facilities management the management of plant and resources as opposed to procurement and logistics is something we havent got, so this is an entry into that."

Thomas Potts companies had the potential to sell other services into those clients, he added.

Fairway, based in Berkshire, is a good fit with print management company CCS Potts, which was acquired last year, Scanlon said. CCS has offices in Cardiff and Nottingham.

Thomas Potts has taken over Fairways head office and distribution centre at Langley, near Heathrow.

The new owner plans to take on all 78 staff, with Judith Clutterbuck remaining as managing director of the company.

Thomas Potts acquisitions have so far been split between "distress" buys of companies in, or near, administration, and purchases of going concerns. Fairway falls firmly into the latter category, insisted Scanlon.

"It has a few dozen good quality clients," he said.

Story by Adam Hill